Control is the next upcoming game from the experienced Finnish developers, Remedy Entertainment. Remedy is well known for their work on the Alan Wake series, as well as 2016’s Quantum Break. This year we got a little sneak peek of their new title during Microsoft’s E3 2018 press conference.
The preview left us with more questions than answers, so luckily, we got a more extended hands-off look at the game behind closed doors. Here’s everything we learned.
Learning Control
Control is a third-person action-adventure sandbox that takes the suspense and mystery of Alan Wake and combines it with the blockbuster story moments of Quantum Break. Players can explore as they see fit while playing Control, and revisit previous areas after acquiring new abilities like you would in Metroidvania games.
The game centers around protagonist Jesse Faden, who suffered a traumatic experience that has left a lasting impression on her life. She is eventually drawn to the Oldest House, a place that has been calling out to her. Once inside, she discovers that this is the home of the Federal Bureau of Control, or FBC. Though not shown in our demo, a series of events take place that establishes Jesse as the new Director of the FBC. As Director she has access to special weaponry and more access to the FBC building.
During Control
Our demo picked up at roughly halfway through the story’s campaign. Jesse is the Director and is trapped within the FBC building. Holding the title of Director, she can use a new weapon that can alter its form to Jesse’s situation. Our objective during the demo was to search for Rooney, FBC’s Head of Security. Our tour of the facility showed visible signs that not all was right within the Oldest House. We see soulless bodies floating, destroyed environments, and some very odd mold.
As Jesse travels through the rooms, we saw her come under attack by multiple FBC employees who are possessed by the Hiss. We know little about the Hiss other than they are an other-worldly force that has taken up residence in the Oldest House.
The Oldest House can also be reconfigured; we saw Jesse recite a cleansing ritual and the room warped so she could progress further. We watched eagerly as she’s transported from an office building to a rundown motel and eventually finds herself inside a painting.
Here she finds a recording that speaks of Objects of Power and Altered World Events, and another person in a test chamber observing a refrigerator which signified an optional side quest. Jesse eventually reaches Rooney, only to find him transformed and corrupted by the Hiss. She is forced to take him down and perform another ritual that makes the environment to change again leaving her floating in a completely white space. The last thing we see is a massive inverted black pyramid before our demo finally came to an end.
Powers and Abilities
During the demo, we saw her weapon take the form of Grip and Shatter. Grip (Pistol) looks and operates like your conventional service weapon with supernatural traits. Meanwhile, Shatter (Shotgun) is a close-range weapon with high destructive power. These weapons utilize a shared resource instead of ammo. We couldn’t see exactly how much each shot from either firearm consumed, but devs informed us that it is not unlimited and will recharge over time.
In addition to her weapon forms, we also saw a few of Jesse’s supernatural abilities. During the demo, we saw Shield, Launch, and Levitate. From what we could ascertain, Shield and Launch will be the first few abilities that she acquires. Shield will grab objects from the environment including portions of the walls and pillars to protect her from incoming attacks. Launch enables Jesse to grab specific objects in the environment and use them as projectiles to take down attacking Hiss. This will undoubtedly come in handy when waiting for her weapons to recharge.
Her final ability during the demo was levitation; this appears to come later and is useful for accessing previously inaccessible locations in the game. The team is still working on the limitations of these abilities, how often Jesse can use them, and what other beneficial properties they can add to them.
Out of Control
Coming out of Control, we were still left with more questions than answers but in an exciting way. We’re very curious to see the life event that impacted Jesse’s life and left her with these incredible abilities. We also want to see what other skills she will gain from her time in the Oldest House. We have tons of questions about this ominous black pyramid and what it stands for — are they an Illuminati-esque organization? Or is it a marking of some sort by FBC to signify something more critical? What exactly are the Hiss and why exactly are they here and only within the FBC building?
Remedy promised that more information is on its way in the coming months. Other than that, we will just have to make educated guesses and wait until we have Control.
